Finding Home
by Junior-Einstein
Summary: How can training under a certain Vice Admiral change your life? Well, look what it did to Haruno 'Sea Witch' Sakura.
1. Prologue

So, first thing first: This story didn't ever see a beta-reader so I apologize for every mistake you may find and believe me, you will find some.

The next thing; the reader that already know me and wait for an update of my other stories... I'm sorry, but that may take some time. I need to get my muse back for all of them but right now I'm in an One Piece-fever, or better yet: Law-fever! He's just so dreamy! *drool* But okay, don't mind me. I'll try and finish this fic in one go, even if I don't really know where it will take me and what will happen. But you see, there is just a shortage of Crossovers that have Sakura as main character and I want to change it. So, here is one of my brainfarts. I hope you enjoy this piece of my imagination and the beginning of something big.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto nor One Piece, just the idea behind this story.

* * *

The first thing she remembered was the dark.

It was so consuming that she didn't even knew if her eyes were open or not, she couldn't feel herself breathing or moving. It took over her mind, making apathy fill her up.

It didn't matter if she was dying or if something else happened to her, the only thing filling her was the darkness.

She couldn't form a thought, her brain refusing to turn to something different than the blackness surrounding her, settling in her weightless body. The feeling had left her limbs, no sound reached her ear, not even her breathing and it didn't matter to her. She only cared for the now, the apathy.

Suddenly shocks started to race from her fingertips and toes, up her arms and legs until they reached her head.

Bright light filled her sight, chased away the calming darkness and returned the feeling into her limbs, bringing with it unimaginable pain.

Now she could feel the burning in her lungs, signaling the need for a breath, her heart racing in her chest and also the spasms of her muscles. But now there was also the feeling of falling, the dropping of her stomach as she cut through the air, unable to do anything while her body moved in uncontrollable ways.

The speed she was falling with made it difficult to draw a breath, as well as the pain, rendering her control over her body useless. When she finally got the air into her lungs the expanded, sending a large wave of agony through her and now she could let out the scream that had clocked up her throat.

It was high-pitched, inhuman in its intensity and it freed her from the worst of her torture. It was as if she had been able to let out her pain in the long, loud and vocal cords ripping roar. Now there only was the burning in her eyes from the bright light and the rushing winds, as well as the fire that burned now in her throat.

Gaining the control over her body back, she turned in her fall, trying to force her lids open to see her death coming at her. She would die while looking the grim reaper directly into his eyes, that was her promise to herself that she wanted to fulfill.

The females eyes finally opened to slits but widened when all she saw was blue.

She had ripped through the clouds and now there only was water under her. The bright sun reflected off the surface, sparkling harmlessly and beautifully up at her, almost welcoming her with a golden and blue shine.

It wouldn't take much longer until the impact with the water and now that her mind worked again she let her brain run through every possible scenario to increase her chance of survival. She knew that an fall from some hundred feet into water would kill her, the density of water would make her look like a melon thrown from a roof down onto a street. She would have to reduce the impact area greatly but even then it could break every bone in her body.

Steeling her mind she got into an upright position, her feet pointing to the water and her arms raised above her head, her body creating a perfect line. But that wasn't everything she did.

Gripping her chakra with her mind she let it rush through the pathways and settled it directly under her skin, creating a barrier made out of her green energy. It wouldn't protect her from everything but hopefully enough to survive the forceful entry into the water.

And suddenly she breached the surface, shooting deep into the sea, cutting through the masses of water like a hot knife through butter. But it hadn't been as smooth as her entry had made one think. She had felt the crushing of the bones in her feet, pulverizing the smallest and most fragile ones as well as pushing the joints of her femurs out of their sockets. Luckily the pressure of the water hadn't forced the cool liquid down her nose into her lungs, her chakra had blocked her nostrils.

The shock of the impact and the searing pain in her legs had ripped her eyes open and ignoring the burn of saltwater in her sensitive retinas she took a look.

Precious air escaped her mouth in a silent gasp as she saw glowing points pinning her, making her forget the pain for a second but filling her up with adrenaline.

Narrowing her eyes she let chakra flow into her fists, illuminating the space around her with green light.

As if just waiting for this sign the beat shot forward, striking like a snake with its giant maw opened to swallow her whole. How she even got the interest of this sea monster was a riddle to her but she wouldn't get eaten by this sea snake after surviving a fall that no normal human would have!

Before she could disappear in the giant mouth she used her chakra-infused hands to catapult her upwards and out of the immediate reach of the beast. It would have been more effective if she had been able to use her legs but they were numb, useless to her. She was kinda thankful for the fact that she couldn't feel them because the top of the beasts fin struck her leg and made her twirl in the water, making her dizzy and letting her loose the orientation.

The monster didn't give her time to collect herself because it used it snakelike body to turn around so fast that she couldn't even try to get out of its way. So it left her with only one option.

She gathered her chakra faster in her hands then she ever had and readied herself for the impact that would follow.

It shot from slightly under her upwards, trying to get her into its maw but it hadn't counted on her counterattack.

Her fist connected with the top of its upper jaw, sending tremors through her bones but she could ignore this easily as she felt the energy propelling her upwards and the beast down.

The water rushed around her water and she shot out of the water in a high arc, her lungs filling greedily with precious air. The wind was cold on her skin and her soaked clothes but she never had been happier to taste the fresh air. But her relief didn't hold long when she saw the sea snake breaching the surface, following her flying body with the intent to kill.

Now that she could really see the predator that wanted to eat her, her eyes almost popped out of her head.

The body was long and thick, the end she was not able to see and the whole body was covered with blood red scales, the head reminded her of a giant moray eel with long whiskers and stumps on the back of its head.

All in all, it was terrifying and almost let her freeze with its pure size alone. It was bigger than Katsuyu and Manda combined! And they were massive on their own!

Determination filled her and narrowing her eyes she unsealed her Yin Seal, letting it work its magic on her battered legs. But even with the power boost she couldn't do much for the shattered bones in her feet. She would need time and many healing sessions to reverse the damage. But for the time it had to be enough.

She flicked in the air and landed on the water, the chakra in her feet holding her on top of the liquid and giving her the needed stability. The sea snake finally reached her and descended on her, its red eyes glaring greedily at her, waiting to devour her finally.

The female braced herself, stabilizing her stand on top of the sea and let all her power flow into her arms.

When the maw was only a few paces over her she flung herself backwards and let the thing crash through the surface but she didn't give it time to fully sink back into the depths. She raced forward and got one of the whiskers into her hands, gripping it as tightly as possible and pulled at the long, thick appendage.

For a few milliseconds nothing happened but then she felt the pull of the giant beast, trying to rip her arms out of the sockets as well as pulling her under. But she pushed all her strength into her limbs and _pulled_. Abruptly the descend came to a stop and reversed. She pulled the massive head out of the ocean and when she felt no resistance she let go and readied her elbow for a finishing hit. She would need to get the right place to finally get rid of it but she was sure that she would get it.

As the skull breached the water she jumped upwards and then dropped down, her elbow ahead of the rest of her body.

With a deafening crack she connected with the top of the head, splitting the thick bone under the scales and pushing splitters into the soft tissue of the brain, damaging the beast enough to make it at least unconscious.

She landed heavily on top of the water and almost sunk down, her chakra almost used up by the last attack and now she was able to feel the pain in her legs, sending tremors through her body and tears into her eyes.

A moan tried to escape her throat but no sound came and she remembered the burn. Right, she had damaged her vocal cords.

The female felt the strength leaving her battered body and she climbed on top of the unmoving body of the sea snake, collapsing on the top of its head. But she was able to turn so that she could see the clear sky and the blazing sun.

Where in the world was she?

But before she could even try to think about her question the exhaustion and pain caught up to her and robbed her of her consciousness.

* * *

The young marine let out a deep, bored sigh and let his upper body hang over the railing of the crows nest. Today was such a boring day... No pirates to be seen and that for almost the whole two weeks they had been on sea. Okay, it was calming that they hadn't run into one of the big fishes but some action would have been nice to relieve some of the boredom he felt.

Sluggishly he pulled the binoculars up to his eyes and let his gaze wander over the calm sea, looking out for something unusual but without any hope. So he had to blink and pull the binoculars away to rub his eyes and look again when he saw a tiny shadow some sea miles away from them.

Sharpening the focus his body moved to attention and he fixed his stare onto the object that seemed to float on top of the water.

"Unidentifiable objected sighted! Eleven o'clock!", he shouted and narrowed his eyes, trying to see more.

Dow on the deck things got livelier.

The marines that hat scrubbed the floor all had left their posts and now moved to the left of the ship, trying to see what their lookout had caught.

All of them snapped their heads up to the man over them as he let out a startled, high yelp.

"Holy shit! Get the captain, it looks like a dead Sea King!"

One of the young marines had enough presence of mind to jump into action and race to the captains quarters, his legs carrying him as fast as possible. It was almost unheard of to find a dead Sea King just floating in the water. Something wasn't right and their captain needed to give them instructions.

It didn't even take him five minutes to reach the room of their captain, even on their large vessel and he knocked urgently on the door, trying to get the Vice Admirals attention.

He knocked again but instead of calmly opening the door it flew open and hit the young marine directly into the face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him.

The tall, muscled man in the doorway put a doughnut in his mouth and chewed it without a care in the world. He looked around and after he found nothing he shrugged and turned around to get back into his quarters, but a pained groan stopped him in his tracks.

"V... Vice... Admiral... Dead... dead Sea... Sea King... sighted..."

The gray eyebrows rose up the wrinkled forehead before a large grin brightened his face.

"Bwahahaha! That's finally something interesting! Don't just lie there and get to the bridge! We're taking course to the Sea King! Bwahaha!"

With these words the special captain of the marine vessel made his way to the bridge, the bag with his doughnuts held in his arms.

The felled marine groaned in agony and tried to get his bearings but the strength with which the vice admiral had thrown open the door had been to much for his body. Slowly he sunk back down to the ground and before his head even hit the ground he had lost his consciousness.

* * *

A few spaces away from the floating cadaver the ship let its anchor into the water and a small boat down. In it was the vice admiral himself together with five other marines, two of them rowing them to the massive body.

The head was a few meters above the surface so they could only see the vacant eyes, covered by a milky film and the blood that flowed out of the nostrils. But there was no obvious wound that could explain the death of the monster.

Thoughtfully he rubbed his bearded chin and looked at the dead beast, trying to decide something. And before the marines could react a bright grin covered his face.

"Well, let's take a closer look! Bwahahaha!", and he jumped out of the boat and on top of the cadaver, ignoring the shocked shouts of "Vice Admiral!" of the men below him.

Without bother he continued climbing the Sea King until he reached the top of its head and the reasons for its death got glaringly obvious.

The roof of its skull was dented, obviously cracked down by something blunt. There was no open wound, just the sacking scales in the middle of its head.

But his attention was pulled to something near the neck of the beast. It was shaped like a human but no he could not make out any movements.

Frowning he continued on to the female that laid on the Sea King, looking like a corpse if it weren't for the shallow movement of her chest.

As soon as the marine had reached the girl, he had grouched down and turned her face into his direction, taking in the features of her.

She was small and build slenderly, no great curves to be seen. Her hair was a bright pink and was crusted over with salt from the dried sea water; it seemingly reached only her shoulders in a pixie cut. Her skin was red from the sun but he could imagine that it normally was a healthy, pale shade, showing him that she wasn't living on the sea. Her face was still rounded, so she couldn't have finished her growth, meaning she still was a teenager and too young to be on the sea alone. But the hidden lean muscles in her arms showed him, that she wasn't entirely defenseless.

But what really got his attention were her clothes. Even as far as he had traveled the seas he never had seen clothes like hers.

The top was a blue turtleneck with long sleeves and her trousers were identical. On top of the pullover she wore a green vest with various pockets and spaces to keep something in. Around her thigh a pouch was fastened with white gauze but he immediately saw that it was empty, the contents without a doubt lost to the unforgivable sea. And on her feet were black, high sandals.

All in all, the girl looked really unusual.

Cautiously and careful he took her into his arms, letting her head rest on his chest and made his way back to the boat with the other marines.

"Well, girly, it seems like the day just got interesting. Bwahahaha!"

Without any care in the world he jumped from the top of the Sea Kings head and landed between the young marines, making them scurry back from him, not expecting the vice admiral to appear out of nowhere.

"Now, men! Let's get back to the ship! I have found something interesting! Bwahahaha!"

The men saluted him and went to work, rowing their boat to their ship where most of the crew hung over the reeling, trying to catch a glimpse of their extroverted captain.

As soon as the boat had been pulled upwards again, the highest ranking marine stepped off the vessel and moved into the direction of their infirmary.

"Get the doc, he has work to do!"

The crew saluted him and some rushed away to find the aforementioned doctor of their ship while the rest got back to work, murmuring about the events of the day.

* * *

Slowly consciousness filled her again and she tried to open her eyes, failing at her first try but able to lift her lids on her second one.

At first she couldn't take in anything, her brain working to remember what had happened but then slowly the information filled her head, making her able to look at her surroundings.

She noticed the white roof over her head and the sterile room she was in, also that she was in a bed instead of on top of the scaly head of the sea monster.

Rubbing her eyes she sat up, looking at the white blanket that had fallen into her lap. Carefully she threw it away from her legs and looked at them, seeing the white bandages around her feet and now feeling also the pressure they put around her toes. She also recognized the braces for they also existed in the field sickbay in their base.

Frustrated with the unanswered questions ghosting around her head she let her hand glide through her pink locks, getting caught in numerous snarls making her 'tsk' in annoyance. That meant she would need a long soak in a bathtub with plenty of conditioner or a cut. She lent more to option number four. Surely she wouldn't get a bath.

Pulling her fingers out of the mess she called hair she rubbed her face in mental exhaustion.

Where had she landed? And what was going on right now? She could feel it in her very bones that she wasn't near Konoha anymore, as well as Suna, because both countries didn't have such a large body of water. Not even near this size.

So, _where the fuck was she_?!

Suddenly the wall next to the door exploded and made wood splinters rain on the floor.

She had jumped from the bed, her body falling into the trained defense pose her mistress had pounded into her. Too bad she hadn't any kunai with her but her bare fists had to do.

Out of the dust cloud stepped a massive man, clad in a suit with a flowing white coat around his shoulders, a big grin on his weathered face.

Her eye twitched in irritation and her fists clenched harder. She could feel his strength practically flowing out of his body, saturating the air with a denseness that made it hard to breath. Also the hair in her neck stood up straight, something that only had happened, when she had faced an enemy she knew she had had no chance of defeating.

"Ah, finally you're awake! Bwahahahaha, it was time!", his voice was booming but bright and had a relaxing quality to it but she didn't let it lull her into false safety. She had seen what happened to shinobi that had let down their defenses carelessly.

The man crossed his massive arms in front of his broad chest and watched her steadily out of his blue eyes.

"So, did you kill the Sea King that we saw floating in the water?"

Ah, straight to the point? That she could appreciate.

"If you mean the massive sea snake then yes.", even if she had healed her throat in her sleep unconsciously her voice still was scratchy and hoarse. Every note hurt but it wasn't something that bothered her immensely. It was annoying but bearable.

The man let out another of his loud and bewildering laughs, throwing his head back and closing his eyes in mirth. She could still see the readiness in his body but she also understood that he didn't see her as a threat. Good for her, that made escaping a hundred times easier.

"So, the kitten has claws! I knew it, bwahahaha! Say, how did you kill it? And where is your ship?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and let an unwanted growl out, goading her into a coughing fit. Her throat was dry and burned from not being used in a long time. Her body lost its tenseness and her muscles collapsed in themselves, leaving her crouched and bended over, trying desperately to stop the coughing, knowing that she made everything worse with it.

Out of one eye she continued with watching the man in white and saw not one ounce of pity, just the smirk and a twinkling that made her for some reason nervous. She had seen it before, but she couldn't remember where. But it send shivers of foreboding down her spine.

After she finally had calmed down her coughing she stood up again and swallowed thickly, wetting her throat. She got into her defense position again, not trusting the imposing male. He made her immensely uncomfortable and he knew it. She could see it in his eyes and he enjoyed himself, that bastard!

"So, you want to answer the questions or what?"

The young female glared at him.

"No, not really", she answered him in an aggressive tone, ignoring her instincts that told her to be respectful to him and not let her inner Naruto out. But now it was too late anyway. And she had other problems then make friends with the man!

The grin of him took on a sharp edge and it got a noticeable shiver from her body. He punched his fist into his palm and stood straighter, towering over her frame and making her look up.

"So, so, the little girl has a mouth on her! Bwahaha! Let's see if you can back up your attitude with actions!", and without further warning he launched himself at her, his fist ready to pound her into the ground.

Only because of her strict training she could get out of the way just in time and her eyes widened momentarily as she saw the bed, she had rested in earlier, had been pulverized by his fist. That could have been her!

Steeling herself for the fight she let her chakra flow into her feet and legs and catapulted herself at the man, swinging her fist at him, hoping to get him good. But she didn't even come near his face, when he grabbed her around her wrist and swung her around, shooting her across the room. Luckily she found her bearings quickly and got her feet on the wall, absorbing the impact with her bended knees, before using the energy to propel her forward at him again.

This time he took a step to the side and got out of her way and she collided with the wall, breaking right through it and landed in a different room, this one much bigger and spacious then the sickbay.

She fell to the ground and bounced of it until she came to a stop, groaning from the burn she got while sliding over the floor.

Quickly she got up, shaking off the collision with the hard wood and quickly took in her surroundings. Now she seemed to stand in the mess hall, with a few people in it, which stared at her in shock. But before she could do more, the big man jumped through the created hole and right at her.

Her eyes hardened and the chakra gathered in her fist. Without losing a moment she let her fist sail into the ground, ripping a large hole into the floor and unearthing planks which sharp, broken ends now protruded from the ground. But without flinching the guy just plowed through the hardened wood and got her good in the stomach.

The force of the hit send her sailing into one of the long benches in the middle of the room and ripped it out the bolts that had fastened it to the ground.

Dazed she sat on the bench and tried to get her bearings with shaking her head. This guy could pack a punch! It was almost as bad as the ones of her mistress, but only almost. She had lived through worse and she would show this old man that he couldn't just use her as a punching bag!

Standing up she let the anger well up in her and let it flow through her body, as well as the chakra from her core. With a glower she grabbed the long bench and pulled the other end out of the ground, ignoring the gasps from the bystanders.

She held the bench like a massive baseball bat and without losing one more thought she swung it with a cry, hitting the old man in his surprised pause and let the piece of furniture sail after him, creating a new, bigger hole in another wall.

"Vice admiral!"

She twirled around to the cry and lost her concentration for a second but it was enough time to let him attack her again.

His big fist caught her in the face, making it fly to the side and giving her a spin while she again sailed through the air. The next time she landed, she continued with rolling until she stopped at the other end of the mess hall.

"Oh? Giving up already? I'm disappointed, bwahahaha!"

She gritted her teeth, fire burning in her eyes and she used the time she needed in getting upright to set her rib and heal the crack superficially. She would have to do better when she had time for it. Now she had to show the old man a new trick or two.

Activating her Yin Seal she ignored the gasps and the interested raising of a brow from the man that had attacked her. She felt the chakra from her forehead entering the pathways in her body, rushing through her and giving her new energy. Instantly her stance got stronger again and green fire surrounded her fists, materializing into scalpels. Round Two could now begin.

Without warning she launched herself at him, anticipating the block that he threw up, exactly what she had wanted. Her chakra went through his skin without problems and when it reached the nerves it cut through the connections, rendering his left arm useless. With a curse and widened eyes he threw a punch with his right but she was fast enough to get out of reach with dropping to the floor and using a leg sweep. As anticipated he jumped over it but what she hadn't thought about was the fast that he let his whole body fall down instead of a controlled punch.

Just in time she rolled to the side and heard the wooden floor splintering. Hastily she scrambled to her feet and almost lost her footing when a sharp pain shot up her legs. The man had seen this on little hesitation and used it to his advantage. He tackled her to the ground and without giving her even a chance to resist he had her on her stomach and her arms behind her back in his grip. His knee ducked painfully in her back and pushed her to the ground, rendering her immobile.

"Bwahahahahaha! What a nice outwork! Good job, kitten, that really alleviated the boredom!", the man laughed loudly and pulled her up with him, petting her head like one would do with an actual pet.

Flabbergasted she stared at the man with an open mouth and her lower lid twitched, signaling her feelings clearly to the world. That expression got the man to laugh again, this time more boisterously then before.

"Well then kitten, I think you would make a good marine! What do you say, join us?"

Losing the last bit of her patience she glared at the man and struggled in his grip, scratching at his hand, that held her shoulder strongly without any intention to let her go.

"What the fuck are you talking about?! I don't know where I am, who you are! I don't know what the fucking marine is and I just survived almost being eaten by the overgrown sea snake! What do you want from me?!"

The man laughed again and shook her by the shoulder, rattling her brain through and making her dizzy, almost sending her to the floor in his mirth.

"You've got a temper! But we will get this out of you! Don't you worry. But to answer your question, we are on a marine ship in the East Blue just a few days away from the next island. And I'm Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. You have potential and I think you will make it big in the marine! Bwahahahaha! Now, kitten, what's you name and where do you come from?"

The girl stared at him with wide eyes, only registering the words after a moment of silence before her eyes almost bugged out. What the heck was the East Blue? Or better yet, _where _was it? And why did this... Garp try to get her into his organization?

Without even meaning to she opened her mouth and answered him.

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I think I'm a long way away from home..."


	2. Is it getting hot in here?

So, my dear readers. I'm happy, that my story got some interest and I'm especially grateful for the reviews. I'm interested in your opinion but I can't read minds. So, share your thoughts, please?

But okay, now to other things. This chapter made a giant leap in the timeline. Maybe some of you wondered, just _when_ did Sakura land in the world of One Piece, well you'll get the answer in this chapter, at the very least in the next.

Oh, this chapter wasn't beta-read again. I would like for someone to go over my chapters before I post them, to minimize the mistakes; so if someone wants the interesting job, write me. I have the feeling that my commas just pop up randomly and that's something that really annoys me. And I mean, _really_ annoys me. So, please, help me!

One more info; I wrote the marine ranks with a capital letter. So that you can differentiate better.

So, the next thing, if you want to see Sakura interact with a character, write it down. Maybe that will give me some ideas how I can continue with this story. I would be happy, you would be happy, so it's a win-win-situation, right?

With this I wish you fun with the following chapter and I apologize for every mistake you see.

**Disclaimer**: I own neiter One Piece nor Naruto, just the idea of this story.

* * *

"Captain! We have some-... Argh!"

The call was disconnected after that, making her clench her fist around the Den Den Mushi and gritting her teeth in rising anger. Her limbs started shaking, showcasing her emotions to the world, a fact that Garp had tried to get rid off but had, as one could clearly see, failed.

Sakura took a deep breath and brushed her hair back, letting the heavy, long mess fall back, covering the 'Justice' of her coat.

"Okay, everything is alright. Your guys are just running into little problems, no biggy. You don't have to storm into something you were told to not enter. Trust in your crew and let them handle that... That's right, trust in them!", she muttered to herself and sunk back into her chair, crossing her legs and arms but gripping her elbows, digging her nails into them.

The foot that was in the air whipped quickly up and down, showing her anxiousness for her crew. She had been told that she was like a mother hen, hindering her crew on doing their job and also creating sometimes problems without even meaning too. So this time she had been given the direct command to not leave her ship and let her men handle the situation.

And it made her edgy!

She liked to be in the middle of things, she liked protecting her men and in her heart she was a healer! She had to see to their health! But noooo, she had to stay back! She had been a field medic, always in the thick of it. Damn it, she had fought against Madara together with Naruto and Sasuke! If that didn't show her ability she didn't know!

Sakura jumped forward when her Den Den Mushi purred, lifting the receiver and listening intently.

"Captain, we need you! The pirates are stronger then anticipated! They have a Devil Fruit user in their midst!"

Would it be inappropriate to fist pump and be happy about the troubles her crew had? But that was unimportant, she was needed!

"I'm coming, hold on," with these words she hung up and sprung from her seat, leaving the bridge with long steps, a small spring in them.

The marines at the side of the doorway saluted her, following her smiling figure with their hooded eyes.

"She is really happy, to be needed," one said and scratched his forehead.

"Yes, but this is why she is so well-liked by the other marines. And feared by the pirates," the other sighed and let the back of his head collide with the wood behind him.

Both jumped to attention when they heard a loud boom, a few kilometers into the city, watching the dark dust cloud as it got taller and taller.

The two of them exchanged exasperated glances but still smiled a little, knowing the antics of their beloved captain.

* * *

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she munched on the piece of cake in her mouth, enjoying the rich flavor of chocolate combined with strawberries and the fluffy whipped cream on top of it.

Her jade colored eyes had fallen shut in delight and her cheeks had taken on a rosy tint, letting her appear younger then she actually was. The surrounding marines blushed, taken in by the cute picture their captain made while eating her cake.

The man opposite her groaned annoyed and watched the young captain with glare, not used to blunt ignorance this girl had going.

Fed up with playing only second fiddle he slammed his hand down on the table, making the tableware rattle and spilling some of the green tea that sat in the porcelain cup.

Annoyed by the interruption, Sakura sat the plate with the rest of her cake down and finally looked at the older male, sending him an icy glare.

"What?", she barked and showed him her ticking lower lid.

He smirked smugly and settled deeper into his chair. He crossed his arms and let his gaze wander over the woman, taking in her lovely appearance.

Her hair was a unique shade of pink, reaching the small of her back in gentle waves and it was parted to the right to let one gaze freely into her youthful face. Red clips, formed like flowers held the long strands out of her face but he knew that they weren't only for decoration there.

Her face was nothing special but her eyes made more then up for that. They were slanted and a beautiful, soft shade of jade and lined with black eyeliner, making them pop out even more. One could almost describe them as hypnotizing but one thing made them really stand out and it was the expressiveness of them. They always were filled with feelings, may it be good or bad ones.

Her body wasn't ugly as well. She may not have the massive bust like most females he knew but she was pleasantly formed, her limbs lean and muscled with, for her small stature, long legs and a trim waist. She knew how to highlight the advantages of her form and it let her stand out. All in all she was something special in their world.

"Enough stared? Now, what do you want? I have better things to do then being stared at and wasting my time with idle silence," she growled and crossed her arms, pulling his attention to her lean forearms, painted with dark lines.

"I apologize," his tone made it clear that this wasn't the case," but I'm here to deliver you your new orders. You are hereby directed to intercept Fire Fist Ace on his way to Alabasta. You are given the order to capture the pirate and bring him to Headquarters, be it dead or alive, preferable alive.", he said in a strong voice and looked her steadily in the eyes.

Silence surrounded them for a few seconds until she turned her head to the side with a snide 'Tch'.

"And the bosses don't have anything better to do then send a Captain after me while they could have just called? What exactly is going on?"

The mans eye twitched in irritation and he leaned forward, glaring at the female.

"You don't have anything else to say?"

"No, I only question the sanity of Sengoku-sama. Does he really want to enter a war with Newgate-sama? And that is exactly what will happen if we capture Fire Fist."

The man jumped up, his face contorted in rage, his cheeks blazing with the blood that had rushed into his head. His stance was aggressive and his balled fist shook.

"Hold your tongue, Sea Witch! Show respect to your superiors! And don't question their orders!"

A smirk crept onto her lips and a shudder went through the older Captain, making him shrink back slightly.

"Maybe you should think how you talk to your superiors. Just because I'm pretty laid-back doesn't mean I tolerate everything. That was your first strike. Two more and you find out why being on my ship is a double-edged sword. Now, back to my question. Why send a Captain of the marine after me? Do they suspect that Whitebeard intercepted the Den Den Mushi? Or do they just don't like you?"

The man gulped, pushing himself deeper into his chair and trying to suppress the shivers that race down his back and into his limbs.

Now he got the warnings of his direct superior at the HQ. Rear Admiral Haruno 'Sea Witch' Sakura was no joke and definitively not to be underestimated. She had earned her rank and esteem on her own.

"They... they found out that someone had tapped into the oversea line of the Den Den Mushi of... of the HQ. V... Vice Admiral Garp send me himself to... to deliver the... the order!"

A quick, amused laugh escaped her throat before she got herself under control again and picked up her forgotten cake.

"Well, why didn't you just say so before?! I would have welcomed you with open arms! Now, are they sure that it was the Whitebeard Pirates? I can't even imagine that Newgate-sama would sink to such new lows."

She took a bite of her cake and blushed happily when the sweetness spread in her mouth.

The man, completely thrown off by the quick change of emotions just sat silently in front of her and gaped, not understanding anything anymore.

The marines stationed in the room send him sympathetic looks, knowing how he felt. Their captain was something special, her quick change of state of mind being the most obvious extroversion.

"Well, Tobias-san, get to the bridge and tell them to take course on Alabasta. I want to be there as fast as possible. Daedalus-san, nice seeing you but I think you just fulfilled your mission. Give the old man my love and now; _get off my ship_", she said with a sweet smile but the Captain could have sworn that a black shadow hung over her back and laughed at him diabolically.

Jumping from his seat he shakily saluted and hurried out of the room, not caring if he lost his poise. It was important to get the hell out of the Witch's lair.

Sakura chuckled when the door slammed shut after the scared marine and took another bite.

"If they get too cocky you just have to get them back to the ground, right? Now, lets get to Alabasta. I heard some interesting things!"

* * *

She stood on top of the deck, the wind pulling softly at her clothes and hair, making her coat flutter dramatically. Well, this island wasn't really interesting, she thought. As far as she could see there was only sand, reminding her of Suna and therefore of her old world but she quickly shook the images away. She wasn't here to reminiscent about her old life but to capture a wanted criminal.

She had even dressed for the occasion!

Her hair was gathered into a bun with one long braid hanging out of it and her bangs swept to the side with her flower clips. Her body was wrapped in a handmade quipao, the front only reaching her knees while the back went to the top of her strappy heels. Under it she wore black short shorts and around her waist a white obi, holding her katana safely to her side. She also had a pouch integrated to the obi, filled to the brim with her beloved paper bombs she now could create without trouble and blowing herself up. Also a pair of cloves had found their way into the pocket.

All in all she was dressed rather simply, if she thought about the outfits of some of her colleagues. She wouldn't even have the nerve for dressing so smartly. She was a simply girl, easy as that.

"Captain, we are starting the docking!", a marine shouted and saluted to her.

She just nodded and let her gaze wander back to the port town, watching the people gazing at the large ship with fascination.

Well, it looked like she finally had something to do! This town seemed rather large and interesting. And maybe they could stock up on tea and sweets!

After finally docking she went down the plank first ignoring the eyes that burned themselves into her body and looked around, trying to decipher where Ace could be. This town was big enough that even someone as conspicuous as the Whitebeard Pirate could get lost in the masses.

Thoughtfully she touched her chin and tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes and trying to decide her next action. But she didn't even get to form a concrete thought, when she heard a surprised shout, getting her attention.

Sakura looked up again and saw a marine, stopping after a sprint in front of her and saluting her while trying to get enough air into his lungs.

"Re...Rear Admiral Sakura! Honor to meet you, ma'am!"

"At ease, marine. You don't belong to my crew, so why are you here? Stationed or belonging to another docking Captain?", she asked and rubbed her chin, cocking her hip.

She didn't even knew that others marines were here. Did they have the same orders as her? Probably not but it didn't hurt to ask.

"No, I'm a member of Captain Smokers crew, ma'am. I was just looking for my captain, because I heard that Portgas D. Ace had been sighted in this town!", he explained in excitement and looked at her with shining eyes.

Sakura sighed and gave him a small smile. Somehow it was so cute how puppy-like the grown man looked in this moment but this information wasn't as helpful as he thought. Maybe for Smoker but not her. She had known already that Ace was here. But not to disappoint the man she nodded in thanks.

"Did they say how long ago they had seen him?"

"It was said, that he only docked around three hours ago. And he had asked for another pirate. I think it was the captain of the Strawhat Pirates."

Her eyebrows wandered up and surprise made her eyes widen. Until a little memory popped up in her mind and realization lightened her face up.

"Of course... That means he knows that his brother will get here eventually. Oh, two birds with one stone!", she pumped her fist in victory and turned to the next passerby that hurried along. "Wait a second! Could you please tell me, where the nearest restaurant is?"

The man looked at her with wide eyes and open mouth before he caught himself and pointed down the busy street, lined with vendors and their stalls.

"Just follow this street until you reach the first intersection. Then take the right and you will find the Spice Bean."

She beamed at him, making him blush, and thanked him with a short bow. Then she turned to her second-in-command and threw him a wink.

"Well, I think we deserve a meal, don't you, Gory-san? And thank you for the information. If we find Smoker before you, we will deliver the message ourselves!", with this this started skipping down the street, making the tall man named Gory sigh and follow her with exasperation, leaving the other two men standing there speechlessly and staring after her.

* * *

"Looks like there's some kind of ruckus going on in that store...What happened?", Smoker mumbled around his two cigars and watched the gathering people through his goggles.

Tashigi at his side looked too and listened to the murmuring.

"Apparently some customer died all of a sudden", she said with worry in her voice, getting a low 'Tch' from her Captain for her soft heart. But before the two could even think about entering the restaurant, they heard bright and loud laughing, coming into their direction as well as a loud 'Captain, wait for meeee!'.

Turning to the shout, Smokers eyes widened behind his goggles and a cigar fell out of his mouth, landing without any notice on the packed sand ground. That couldn't be true! Not here and not her!

But it proved itself when a fist sailed directly in his face and catapulted him into the stand of a panicked vendor.

With a gasp Tashigi turned to the newcomers and now it was her turn to stare dumbfounded.

"Rear Admiral Sakura! Wha... What are you doing here?!"

The woman with bright pink hair laughed boisterously and propped her hands into her hips. With a wide smile she tilted her head, letting her long braid glide over her shoulder.

"Tashigi-chan! How nice to see you again! How have you been? And is Smoker-kun treating you alright? I know how he can be."

She patted Tashigis head, even if she had to get on her toes to reach the top comfortably.

The younger woman blushed, unused to such gestures from high ranking colleagues or people in general but smiled a bit, instantly remembering why she liked the Rear Admiral so much. The woman was nice when one deserved it and stern and dutiful when it was needed. Not to forget; skillful.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a fist made out of smoke skimming by her face and hitting Sakura. Well, at least that was the intention but her body exploded into smoke and was replaced by a perfectly cut wooden block.

"Aaah, captain Sakura! Don't waste time on this! We have our orders!", Gory whimpered, tears leaking out of his eyes and his hands buried in his dark hair, gripping the spiky strands in desperation. He knew exactly what would happen if he let the fight really start and it wasn't in their budget to fix a whole borough.

The woman sighed and flipped the braid back over her shoulder, straightening her posture and crossing her arms.

"Bah, Gory-san you become more and more of a partypooper. But you're right. Smoker-kun, we met one of your subordinates and he told us, that Fire Fist Ace is in town. But get the excitement out of your eyes, I have orders to handle him. You keep your nose out of it. Now excuse me, I need some food."

Letting her second-in-command with a twitching Smoker and a gaping Tashigi she threw open the door and stepped into the nicely buzzing room, immediately spotting the big Whitebeard logo on a really nice looking back.

Giggling she took a few steps into the direction of the talking pirate and ignored the growing hush of the establishment.

"Well, well, well, look what my little eyes spy there! If it isn't Portgas D. 'Fire Fist' Ace! You don't know how good it is to see you. But what brings the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd division commander to this kingdom?"

Abruptly shouts got loud of "What? A Whitebeard Pirate?!" and "I knew I had seen this mark before!" but the pirate and the marine only had eyes for each other.

A rogue smirk slithered on his face, the toothpick rounding up the image he made with his relaxed posture. His eyes wandered over the woman in front of him and he could certainly appreciate the sight.

Her legs were slim and long, her skin really pale for a sailor, her body seemed made for dancing or better yet, fast fighting, but what really held his attention were her eyes. They were slanted and a beautiful green, flashing with mischievousness and an unbreakable will, both things he liked in a woman. Well, the last made him respect his enemy too but it was so much more attractive in a beautiful female.

The shimmering purple jewel on her forehead made him a bit curious, though. Ace could feel it in his bones; that wasn't a fashion statement.

"Oh, I'm just looking around. For my little brother, that is...", he finally answered her question, getting a grin from the female marine.

But her response was interrupted when Smoker marched right into the restaurant, wiping the smile from her face and provoked an annoyed 'Pah'.

"Fire Fist Ace, give yourself up without resistance.", he said and ignored the pouting woman at his side, his whole attention on the dangerous pirate in front of him.

But the next words out of Aces mouth made more then up for the interruption.

"Sorry. No can do, Smokie.", the young man said and shrugged his shoulders, a goading smirk pulling the corners of his mouth up.

Sakura snorted, quite in an unladylike manner, before slapping her hands in front of her lips to muffle the giggles trying to escape her. But Smoker still could hear the amused noises from his superior, making his hands clench into fists. But otherwise he kept himself under control. He knew that now wasn't the time to get into a fight with the 'Sea Witch'. The time for revenge would come.

"...I'm already on the hunt for another pirate right now, so I don't particularly care about taking your head..."

"So just look the other way then."

"Ah, ah, now I'm sorry to cut in, but Smoker-kun may not care much about your head but I do. I got the mission to arrest you and I plan to fulfill my mission.", Sakura cut in and stepped in front of the taller marine, her hand slipping into the pouch fastened to her obi and pulling out her leather gloves.

Aces smirk widened and his dark eyes twinkled mischievously. He now had turned around fully and leaned both elbows on top of the bar, showcasing his broad chest and muscled torso. And what eye candy this was!

"What a dull reason... If it was at least something personal I might have thought about coming with you. But so... well, let's see what ya got."

"ROCKET!"

Before anyone could react, something crashed into Smokers back, making him collide into Sakura and taking Ace with them, smashing them right through a certain number of walls until they finally got stopped.

With a groan Sakura pushed her upper body up, kneeling on the ground. She winced when she touched her forehead, blood trickling from a small cut. But her attention was brought to the ground, when it moved under her. Her eyes widened a bit before a coy smile made itself home on her face, her hands settling back onto the hard chest of the Whitebeard Pirate.

"Mhm, who would have thought that someone like you would make such a good cushion?"

Ace groaned and opened his eyes, immediately seeing the female marine sitting atop him and dangerously low. He raised a brow but his lips pulled up into a flirtatious smirk, his hands settling on the shapely hips.

"I think I just fell in love.", he chuckled and let his thumb glide over the silky fabric of her dress in little circles.

Sakura blushed prettily and leaned forward, her hands splayed over his pectoral muscles and stroking the firm skin with the tip of her little finger. Her braid fell over her shoulder again, tickling his neck a bit and giving him a whiff of her shampoo.

She stopped a few inches above his face, so close that her nose touched his and gave him a smoldering look.

"Believe me, _boy,_ you're a few years too early to try something like that. Safe these words for the girl that you really fall in love with, not a woman that wants to throw you into jail," with these words she pressed a quick kiss to his freckled cheek before lifting herself up and pulling him with her.

Turning to the elderly par, that still sat at their table and stared at them, she bowed deeply and threw them a smile.

"I apologize for the inconvenience but the Navy will pay for the repair. Have a nice evening."

She didn't left them time to say anything; she just gripped Ace by the wrist and pulled him with her, back through the holes their bodies had created.

The younger man didn't protest, just followed the soft pull and silently fumed, still hurting from the impacts his back had had to endure.

As they neared the hole of the restaurant Ace perked up, seeing and realizing just who sat at the bar and stuffed his face with food. Filled to the brim with excitement he took a deep breath and readied himself to shout out the name of the boy he had been looking for but only came to a "HEY, LUF-", before something smashed him, face first, into the ground.

"STRAWHAAAT!", Smoker shouted and glared at the young boy, who still continued with eating, looking at the captain unblinkingly.

Sakura, who stood to the side and watched the spectacle couldn't suppress the snort and now didn't even try it. She broke out into a gusty laugh, bending over, wrapping an arm around her middle, slapping her knee and cried from the hard laughing.

Irritated from not being taken seriously, his form started with shaking, blood rushing into his cheeks and biting right through his second cigar.

"CAN'T YOU TOP EATING FOR JUST ONE SECOND?"

Sakura, having been able to calm down a bit tilted her head, following the exchange with curiosity so she saw the exact moment the boy realized who stood in front of him, ready to arrest him. Well, it looked more like Smoker just wanted to thrash this kid.

Suddenly his eyes popped a bit out of his skull and he shouted something unidentifiable, hitting Smoker with half-chewed bits of meat and other things.

The marine Captain wiped some of the mess off of his face, gritting his teeth and Sakura could see veins popping up from his forehead. She didn't need to hear the "You little piece of s..." to know that this boy just had destroyed the last patience he had had in his body.

But now it was her turn to stare aghast at the teenager as he stuffed the arms full of food into his mouth, looking like a too big chipmunk and sprinting out of the door, Smoker hot on his heels.

And without a warning Ace suddenly popped up too, making her shriek in surprise and jump away from him. Shocked she could only watch as the devil fruit user followed the duo, leaving her behind in a dust cloud.

The restaurant was silent for a few seconds, everybody still working on understanding what just had happened until the owner mumbled: "They didn't even pay..."

Shaking her head, Sakura turned to the tall man and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry for the chaos. The Navy will pay for every repair that is needed."

"Captain! Wha-AAAAAAHH! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Turning around she saw her second-in-command, Gory, staring at the damage that the building had suffered and she could have sworn that she had glimpsed his soul leaving his body but that had surely just been a mirage. They were common in the desert, right?

Vanishing from her position she appeared next to Gory, grabbed his collar and pulled him behind her, speeding up and letting him flutter behind her like a flag, his face still ashen and his eyes just white balls. She followed the forms of Smoker and the Strawhat Pirate onto the rooftops, her mind telling her, that Ace would protect his brother from capture with everything he had and that would mean a chance for her to arrest him.

Sakura jumped from rooftop to rooftop, watching the spectacle and giggling in amusement, spotting the marines of Smokers crew now also chasing after the boy.

When they finally reached the end of the streets and ended up at one end of the city she detected a group of young people, people that were everything but happy that the Strawhat run into their direction and even had shouted the name of one.

Finally Smoker had enough and jumped through the last line of his men and used his ability, letting a smoke fist fly into the direction of the running pirate boy but Sakura also saw Ace readying his own attack, countering Smokers attempt. And then, to round up this action-filled adventure Ace appeared in flames directly in the path of the marine captain.

"Give it a rest. You might be smoke, but I'm fire. A match between our abilities won't get us anywhere", the Whitebeard commander said with a challenging grin, his eyes shadowed by the rim of his orange cowboy hat.

"WHO'S THAT...!?", one of the Strawhats crew shouted, the scare was clear as the sky above them.

Silence reigned a few short moments before the boy pirate, clearly in disbelief, shouted the name of his brother.

The older boy turned his face to Luffy, as she recalled the Strawhat was called, and grinned, his lips stretched so far back that his grin almost looked unnatural.

"You haven't changed at all, have you, Luffy? Since we can't talk like this just run along ahead. I'll catch up with you later. I'll stop these guys in the meanwhile. NOW GO!"

And the Strawhat Pirates took their legs into their hands and raced off, leaving the stunned marines back and a fuming Smoker, who gathered his strength for a devastating attack and yelled out a furious "STRAWHAT!" before sprinting forward, ignoring the much more dangerous pirate in font of him, his eyes set on his goal.

"OH NO, YOU WON'T!", Ace roared and a giant flame wall appeared, cutting off Smoker from his pursue and conjured a smile on her lips.

She didn't loose time, forming a handsign and dispersed into pink blossoms just to reform beside the raging captain. Carefully she let Gory fall into the sand and looked up into Smokers face, grinning at him.

"Do me a favor. When he doesn't wake up in the next ten minutes, get him back to the ship. I swear, his heart is getting weaker every time we set foot onto an island. But don't worry, I will continue with the hunt. Wish me luck!", she winked at him and jumped through the flame wall, making some men cry out in fright but she just laughed and pumped chakra into her feet, boosting her sprint with a little extra power. Oh, she would catch the Fire Fist, that she was sure of.

* * *

He had just refused the invitation for tea and calmed them down when he felt a sharp pull on his belt and suddenly saw the waves breaking at the side of Luffys ship. He held still for a bit, trying to make sense out of the things he saw, before it made click and he begun to struggle.

Panic welt up in him, sweat dotting his forehead and his heart raced in his chest. He would die if the person that held him over board decided to let go. And he really didn't want to die right now, he still had something to do!

A soft snicker reached his ears and made him stop struggling and trying to break free.

"Got ya! I win!"

And he was pulled back onto safe ground. He didn't even care if it looked pathetic but he scuttled as fast as possible to the middle of the deck, staying low and staring at the female with wide eyes.

There, leaning against the railing of the ship, was the female marine, her arms crossed in front of her chest and one leg thrown over the other, her amused gaze switching from the Strawhats to him and back.

"Well, well so you are the famous Strawhats I have heard about... I have to say, it is a pleasure to meet you. Every person that can make Smoker loose his head is alright in my books."

It was interesting to watch the different reactions of the pirates, the sword fighter was ready to attack by the slightest twitch of the marine, the blond guy stared at her with lovestruck eyes, the long-nose and the little hairy guy hid behind the mast, their expressions showing clearly their panic, the blue haired girl hat her hands in front of her mouth and his brother just stared dumbly at the marine. But it was the reaction of the girl with the orange hair that really got his attention.

Her pupils had shrunken to little black points and her chest moved rapidly up and down while her body shook like a leave in a storm. She was the one that seemed to know who this marine was and she was scared shitless.

The woman also had detected the girl and smiled at her, waving her fingers at her.

This steered the attention of the other Strawhats to their crew mate and made Luffy ask the most important question:"Do you know her, Nami?"

"Oh, this I want to hear, too! Come on, Nami-chan, tell us a story!", the marine woman said brightly, sitting onto the white reeling, crossing her legs and propping her chin on her hand, observing the shaking girl with amusement.

"You... you're Rear Admiral Haruno 'Sea Witch' Sakura! You... you're the youngest Rear Admiral ever and also the most feared one, not only by pirates but also by the Navy. It is said, that you ate a devil fruit that allowed you to manipulate the energy of people and yourself, making you impossible to defeat. Also... there is the rumor that you should already be an Admiral but that you turned down the offer on every occasion. So, why... why are you here? We aren't important enough to catch your attention!", Nami ended her explanation with a whimper, hiding herself behind the sword fighter.

Sakura chuckled and shook her head, a lazy smirk painted her pretty lips.

"Well, the last bit was new. I didn't even know that I got such offers! Man, I'm really good!", she said with wide eyes, squishing her cheeks together making her look ridiculous and getting a 'Shishishi' from Luffy.

Ace, now calmed down and brave enough to get back onto his feet, put his hat back on and mustered the young woman with his hands on his hips.

"Oh, now I also get the big fishes after me! I'm honored", he said, grinning almost mockingly at her.

The female closed her eyes and cocked her head, creating an image of innocence. But everyone could feel the power flowing off her, well, all but Luffy who still grinned brightly.

"Hmm... Ace-san, this isn't really about you. I believe that the Navy wants to use you to start something much bigger. You're just a very important chess piece on the board. You're lucky that I'm not that reckless to start a war with Newgate-sama."

The ones that understood the meaning behind her words gaped at her, not fully believing their own ears. Since when did a high-ranking marine let a pirate get away?

The commander of Whitebeard blinked rapidly, as if to convince himself that the female would let him escape. Oh, he was sure that he could take her on, even if he didn't knew the range of her abilities but an unneeded fight wasn't something he was looking for. He still was chasing after Teach, the traitor, and every moment counted.

"And what do you want in exchange?", he asked, suspicion thick in his voice.

The sunny disposition vanished and was replaced by a serious mask. She pushed herself off the railing and made her way to the younger man, ignoring the tensing of the Strawhats and stopped in front of him, poking her index finger into his chest.

"You will do me a favor. Not right now, nor in the near future but I will collect this favor. I have a feeling, that I will need it someday."

Ace lips parted in surprise, not expecting this at all. Well, at first it sounded too good to be true but after he lost more then one thought on it, he clearly saw the problems that such a promise could bring in the future. What if she used it to make him do something he wasn't able to? He kept his promises, so to break it wouldn't be easily done by him.

"Why are you trusting me with upholding my end of the bargain?"

Now a mischievous smirk took over her features, making the cook swoon and the more easily scared crew members of his little brother gulp and hugging each other.

"Because I know who used to raise you and your brothers. Oh, he said to me, that if I somehow got near enough to a fearsome pirate to be able to talk civilly with him, I have to tell him how angry he still is about your choice. The same to you, Luffy-kun."

Ace smiled sunnily, immediately getting who she was referring too, while the younger brother stood clueless and picked his nose with his little finger.

"Who're you talking about?", he asked with an empty stare, not even caring for the answer.

Before anyone could react, two fists punched the top of his head, leaving two steaming lumps on him and him whimpering in pain.

Shaking their fists, both Sakura and Ace glared at him, their faces more demonic then ever.

"Think before you speak, idiot!", they yelled and made Nami, Usopp and Chopper back away.

Sighing Sakura let her hand fall back down and turned her back to the crew. After a few steps she stopped again and twirled around, her coat fluttering dramatically in the wind.

"Well, now it is time to part. Ace-san, we will see each other again, of that I'm as sure as the sky is blue. Luffy-kun, please continue with annoying Smoker-kun. He is just so cute with his veins popping!", here she giggled girlishly and made the rest of the crew sweatdrop, "But do know, now I will keep my ears open about news of you. Don't disappoint me!"

Luffy saluted her, together with Usopp, Chopper and a lovestruck Sanji, grinning excitedly at her. Returning the gestures she disappeared in an explosion of flower petals and smoke, leaving the gasping and amazed crew behind, the idiot trio with shining eyes.

Ace turned as he heard a muffled thump, the navigator now sitting on the ground, panting and shaking. Immediately the princess hurried to her friend and knelled beside her, laying an arm around her shoulders to help the other female calm down.

"I... I thought we... wouldn't survive this! This was the Sea Witch! She... she could have killed us all with just a few hand signs!"

Tilting his head to the side and crossing his arms behind it, his younger brother looked at his female friend, completely unconcerned with the experience just now.

"What do you mean, Nami?"

The navigator looked up at her captain with wide, haunted eyes.

"Even Arlong was scared of her. It was said, that she had killed a Sea King with one punch when she had been only 16! And she hadn't even been in the Navy then. Also, she destroyed whole cities while hunting for pirates, killing them without even touching them! And she can walk on water! She is a witch!"

Ace was surprised about this info but also not. One could hardly imagine that a fragile woman like Sakura could be able of actions like that, but he had been able to feel the energy she had let loose. It reminded him of the old man Garp. So, she couldn't be a bad person if she was in cohorts with his adopted grandfather.

Turning to his brother his trademark smirk returned, seeing the determined, excited fire burning in the eyes of Luffy.

"Nee-chan is sooo cool! She will join my crew!", he exclaimed, making his crew drop to the ground in surprise and getting a joined "LUFFY!" from them.

Laughing he crossed his arms behind his head again and closed his eyes, enjoying the fun his friends spread.

Ace joined him and threw his head back, letting the sun shine into his face.

_'Please stay like that forever, little brother. Don't loose your innocence in your journey.'_


	3. Hello again

Ahoi!

This is my Easter present for you all. I celebrate it with my family, but nooooo, I have to work. Yeah, that's the drawback of working in a hotel. You have to work while the rest of the people can enjoy the holidays... But okay...

Well, I have to thank _ForgottenLullaby_ who had been so nice to read over this chapter. If you still find mistakes... so what? There could be worse things. ^^

With this I hope you'll enjoy this and write me what you think.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto nor One Piece, only this crossover.

* * *

** Hello again**

Sighing Sakura leaned back in her hammock closing her eyes and stretching her limbs enjoying the warmth of the sunny day, listening to the breaking of waves and the cries of the seagulls. All in all it was pretty relaxing and she could feel herself slipping into a state of drowsiness.

But as it was such peace never lasted long and hurried steps neared her, ripping her out of her mind.

Turning her head to the oncoming annoyance, she pushed her sunglasses up into her hair and glared at Gory who had a panicked expression on his face, his skin ashen and sweat glistening on his forehead. She didn't even had to pay attention to his eyes to know that his pupils had shrunken to little dots.

"Don't tell me that there are problems again! I already told you that you would handle the next occurrence! Now, let me get back to sunbathing!" She made a gesture one would do to chase away little children while pulling down her glasses again and settling back in hammock.

Panting and tearful, Gory stood at her side his hands on his knees to keep him upright but the breathless, stuttered whimpers made a tick appear on her temple and got him a burning glare.

"Well, if you're having a nervous breakdown it has to be something special! Then tell me! Now!" She barked, sitting up and planting her feet on the wooden floor.

The tall, lean male looked up to her with wide hopeful eyes before shrinking back and falling into a kneeling bow, his forehead touching the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-sama! But we sighted a pirate ship on the next island! It is the flag of the Blue Pirates."

The pink haired captain fell back with a moan the back of her hand colliding with a slap with her forehead, almost knocking her sunglasses off her face.

"The captain only has 45.000.000 Belly on his head. You should be able enough to arrest this small fry on your own, or at least with a team. So why do you insist on cutting my freetime short? Did I do anything to upset you?"

It was a good thing that his forehead was still pressed to the floor or she would have seen in his eyes his answer 'Yes you did!' but no she had no clue and continued with lounging.

Peeking up Gory sniffed again, biting his bottom lip and ignored the tears that streamed out of his eyes.

"Please, Sakura-sama! You said that you wanted to stretch again and the island is uninhabited. So, you're fighting won't cost the Navy another million Belly." He sobbed remembering the call he had had to take for his captain. And it hadn't been a nice call! He was much too sensible to get screamed at like that!

Sakura listened to the pitiful noises her second-in-command made for a few seconds longer before she got to her feet and threw her white marine coat around her slim shoulders, not caring that she only wore a red bikini with cute frills and little white bows on the sides of the bottoms. She loved this bathing suit, even if it was too childish for her age. But it wasn't her fault, that she looked so damn cute in this one! At least it didn't have polka dots.

Gory perked up, staring at his captain with glittering eyes. His hands folded in front of his chest, looking like he had just watched an angel descend from heaven.

Out of all his sniffling and hiccuping she could have sworn to have heard a "Thank you, Hime-sama! Thank you!" But that had been most likely just her imagination.

"Well then, Gory-san, give the command to set anchor. We're going on a hunt. And make it quick, I want to get back to getting some sun."

She gathered her hair in front of her and started to braid it, turning her back to her running underling, his happy tears springing from his eyes like fountains.

An older marine, who had been working on some repairs grinned tiredly and shook his head.

"I swear, Gory-san will die prematurely if Captain Sakura continues her teasing. Poor boy."

His younger colleague chuckled and smiled brightly.

"But that is their dynamic! Without this drama they wouldn't be them. And you have to admit that they are hilarious. I, for one, am happy to be under her command, Kintarou-san. She's more fun than Morgan, for sure."

"That is true. But let me pity Gory-san for a bit longer. I don't think he had this in mind, when he had enlisted. Well, let's get back to work. The captain likes her ship in top condition, Max."

The now named marine saluted mockingly and gave a "Yessir!", getting a fist to the top of his head.

* * *

Sakura stood in the middle of the small rowing boat, her hands in her hips and her eyes narrowed to slits, both indications of her state of mind. To sum it up, she was pissed. Why did there have to be pirates when she was sunbathing? Couldn't they have been somewhere else?

The wrinkles between her brows got deeper in her annoyance and her fingers clenched harder together. Oh, she would soooo arrest them in record time!

Feeling the keel touch the sand of the shore, she didn't waste time as she crouched down and jumped from the boat landing safely on the beach without getting her black heels wet. They wouldn't have survived a bath in salt water and they had been expensive. Maybe the vendors really raised their prices. She had the feeling that she always had to pay more when she wore her cloak but surely that was just her imagination.

"Sakura-sama, please wait for meeee! You... you can't go alone!" Gory croaked, jumping over board but he didn't raise one foot high enough and lost his balance, falling face first in the water.

The two marines, which had rowed them, sweatdropped and looked away in embarrassment. Well, typically Gory but it still hurt their pride as men to see such a high ranking officer bumbling around.

Spluttering he shot out of the water and tried to get to their captain, waving his arms around and crying again.

"Wait for me! SAKURA-SAMAAAAAA!"

The young woman turned her head to the side, looking over her shoulder back while continuing with her walking and shot him an annoyed glare.

"I won't wait! Stop your stumbling and get going! I wanna get back to my hammock!"

Gory cried harder, biting his bottom lip to hold in the sobs but fastened his steps, as well as he was possible to in water, slowly gaining on Sakura.

The captain stopped at the first trees, looking up to their majestic roofs and a smile softened her features. The plants reminded her of the ones growing around Konoha but the feeling of homesickness didn't come as she had expected. This surprised her.

Sakura had been in this new world of water, abstract animals, crazy islands and even stranger people for almost eight years now, making her proud and strong at 24. The first year had been the hardest, her not trusting anyone and also believing that someone had captured her in a genjutsu, but the details and the sheer size of this new surroundings could have been only created by the sharingan. And that thought had destroyed her beliefs almost immediately because this special doujutsu had died out with Sasuke. So, as crazy as it had sounded, she had been transported into another dimension.

But the strict training with Vice Admiral Garp had been one good distraction from her homesickness giving her no time to relax and let her thoughts wander. And here she was, Rear Admiral of the Navy with an own nickname and respect that hadn't really existed in her old world with powerhouses like Naruto making it difficult for 'normal' shinobi like her to get noticed.

Shaking her thoughts off, a grin spread on her face.

'_Time to get started!_'

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and settled her mind, relaxing her body and spreading her senses as well as her chakra.

In her minds' eye she could 'see' her surroundings, her energy bouncing off the ones of the foliage around her and creating a rough outline of the living things in a 10 kilometer radius. If she had to describe this technique of hers, she would have compared it to the sonar of bats. And it was useful, but only if she had to track someone down. In a fight she wouldn't have enough time to focus her senses making her vulnerable. But right now it was the best thing she could have taught herself.

Sakura ignored the reflections of her crew and the animals, looking for an especially sharp echo and she perked up, when she got what she had wanted.

A sharp smirk flashed across her features and before Gory had even slowed down, she had vanished, the small crater in the sand the only indication of her ever being there.

A despairing scream made the marines in the rowboat sweatdrop.

* * *

"Now boys, that is a sight for sore eyes! The bitch even did our work for us! Look at the bikini!" The weird looking guy with a blue afro laughed, a naughty glint in his eyes.

The other 14 men laughed and it reminded her of a pack of hungry hyenas circling a slowly ending animal.

Sakura made a disgusted 'Tch' and crossed her arms, cocking her hip.

"So, you are the captain of the Blue Pirates? You're Blue Berry? How sad, I really had believed that Gory-san hadn't disturbed my sunbathing in vain but now that I see you..."

The funky captain looked at her offended, his mouth hanging open and a vein puckering on his temple.

With a growl he hit his palm with his fist and fell into an offensive position, signaling her he was ready to attack.

"Boys, get the bitch! Whoever knocks her off her high horse gets a round with her, after me!"

Cheering the pirate crew grabbed their various weapons and yelled, as they stormed, as one, at the female.

But before anyone could even begin to get near the marine, shots rang in the air and the men let go of their weapons, blood dripping off their hands, some rolling on the ground, holding wounds that hadn't been there before.

Sakura clicked her tongue and didn't turn around, when the grass rustled lightly and a form appeared at her side. She only nodded once, her eyes still on the captain, who looked over his men in confusion and slowly dawning horror.

"Please, Sakura-sama, don't leave on your own! I'm here to protect you from everything, meaning also the lecherous thoughts of dirty, stinking pirates."

Gory was like a changed man in this moment. His behavior was calm, his eyes serious and slightly narrowed and now he seemed to tower over Sakura, unlike before when he had cowered before his captain.

In his hands were two smoking guns, they're metal flashing in the rays that fought through the leaves overhead.

"What took you so long? I would have thought you would be here a bit faster."

Now Gory lost his composure and whirled to his captain, tears gathering in his eyes and his bottom lip trembling.

"Sakura-sama is so mean! I had to clean my guns because they got wet and you didn't wait!"

"Enough with your slapstick! You're going to regret taking on the great Blue Berry! Take this, HAAAAAAHHH!"

But he was ignored, his flying fist caught in Sakura's hand and the end of a gun smashing in his nose, both done nonchalantly as if just swatting away an annoying fly.

Woozy and with a gushing nose the pirate tumbled back, stumbling over one of his groaning crew members and fell landing on his back and wailing, as soon as the pain caught up to his brain.

Sakura and Gory both shot murderous glares at the man before turning back to each other, the Rear Admiral continuing with glaring while the other marine started to whimper again, losing his previous 'cool' aura completely.

"I'm disappointed with you, Gory-san. This group could have been handled by you alone easily enough. That reminds me, I really have to say something about the bounties! They are getting ridiculous! How could someone like this idiot get a bounty of 45.000.000 Belly? That's outrageous and makes us marines looking like wusses!"

Gory shrunk into himself and sniffled, staring at the ground and his whole demeanor reminding her of a scolded puppy.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-sama but I thought you wanted to take this personally. You said, that you wanted to do something again, not laying around all day. So I thought that you could get your workout. I never thought that they would be so weak!"

Sighing Sakura lost her aggressive posture and shook her head.

"Well, what's done is done. Now, call the team and get these lowlifes on the ship. We are taking course on the next base. I don't want to have this on my ship and eating my food longer than necessary."

Gory saluted her, his green eyes sparkling and she could have sworn there had been a wildly waving tail and perked ears on top of his head but with one blink the image was gone again.

'_I really should get out of the sun. I'm starting to see things..._'

Making a 'Tsk' she wandered to a root that had left the earth in an elegant arc and sat herself on top of it, swinging her legs and watching her surroundings trying to find something to occupy herself with, before the arrest team would finally arrive.

Her eyes had just passed the knocked out Blue Berry as soft tremors had her brows furrowed in confusion. Okay, what was going on? A surprise attack from the crew members they hadn't apprehended? Nah, that couldn't have been possible, for she would have felt more echos.

Suddenly and without any warning a person broke out of the treeline and flew right in front of her across the clearing, making her gape speechlessly.

The boy with black hair, red vest, rolled up blue trousers and strawhat saw her as well and to her astonishment, he did grab two trees he was flying through and she could watch how his arms stretched to inhuman length until his body appeared again and crashed into her, sending both of them to the ground.

"Nee-chan! You're here too!" Luffy exclaimed and grinned as wide as he could.

Sakuras mouth moved but no sound came out of it, not even when the boy grabbed her arm, pulled her up and after him, getting a startled shout from Gory, who still was on the Den Den Mushi.

"Wha...?! LUFFY?!", she finally got out, not really helpful but it got her the wanted reaction.

"I wanted to explore the island and came upon a cave. I may have activated a trap. Shishishi!"

And exactly in the moment he had spoken the last syllable a giant, round boulder broke through the trees, felling them with its weight.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head and she now started to run in earnest, almost overtaking Luffy, who still laughed. Completely wrong in such a situation but she had already understood that the Straw Hat captain was just in a league of his own.

"You little idiot! Couldn't you have looked where you went?!" She screamed and lengthened her steps, seeming to fly through the underbrush, Luffy was hot on her heels, keeping his hat down with one hand.

"Shishishishi!"

More light came through the trees in front of them and she got the impression that they were nearing the end of the forest, her eyes narrowing to slits. Both used a suspiciously strategic placed stone plate as a jump board, catapulting them into the air.

They turned in the air and watched the boulder flying in a high arc, taking direct course on an anchored ship, obviously the one of the Strawhats.

Luffy threw his right arm back, the limb stretching to proportions her medical mind couldn't take, his other hand holding onto his shoulder, stabilizing it a bit.

Sakura glared at the boulder, pulling her chakra from her core, pushing it into her fist and pulling it backwards.

"Gomu Gomu no... PISTOL!"

"SHANNAROOOOO!"

Both their fists connected with the stone and it stood no chance. Cracks formed on its surface and it's flight came to an abrupt stop, crumbling to tiny pieces that fell into the sea under them. But as they were not able to fly, they descended too, rushing to the water in increasing speed.

But Luffy wouldn't have been Luffy if he hadn't been able to save them from an uncomfortable crash. His left slung itself around her waist, pulling her to him and his right stretched again and her eyes could see that he had grabbed onto his ship, changing their flight route to the vessel.

She didn't even had time to scream from the abrupt and disorienting directional change. So it was no wonder that she landed not as elegantly as she could have on the Going Merry. She landed face-first on the deck, rolling a bit before she came to an unwilling stop, meaning she crashed into the railing and stayed there, trying to fight the dizziness and nausea down.

A groan escaped her throat and her head fell forward, the railing her support so that she didn't fell into the water and maybe drowned. In the background and through the fog that had her brain in a stronghold she could hear frantic screaming of "Where is a doctor?! We need a doctor!" and the answering of "You are the doctor, Chopper!", before she was pulled from her resting spot and was sat properly against the railing, her back resting against the wood.

Something hard touched her face carefully, pushing her bangs, which had come loose after her crash to the side and one of her eyes was pried open, letting the light into it. She groaned anew, the sun hurting her with its brightness but she didn't had time to wallow in her agony as her head was turned slowly and a soft high voice asked her questions about her condition which she could answer only groggily and with a heavy tongue.

"I think the landing rattled her a bit but it doesn't seem like she has a concussion. She should be alright in a few minutes."

"Luffy, you idiot! You can't do that to a woman!"

"Are you an idiot?! Why did you bring _her_ here?! We should be happy, that she let us go in Alabasta!"

"Aaah! It's the Rear Admiral again! Luffy!"

Sakura swallowed the gathered spit down and grimaced. Slowly she opened her eyes, blinking a few times to stop the world spinning all around her and to bring the two images of every person together.

"Luffy-kun, you're... really unique. But don't do this ." She grumbled and held her throbbing head in her hands, sending little waves of healing chakra in it.

When she looked up again, she jolted in surprise, hitting the railing again and yelped, for she hadn't expected the little fluffy guy right in her face.

Round, dark eyes stared at her, twinkling in an unsettling light while his mouth hung open, showing her his amazement.

"Your... your eyes are clearer than they should be! And... and what was this green light?! Are you a doctor?!" The little reindeer asked in fast succession and practically sat in her lap, his hooves hovering over her face, almost touching but not brave enough, even in his excitement.

Sakura giggled a bit and took one of his hooves in her hand, letting a bit of her chakra touch his body.

The little guy's eyes widened to unimaginable proportions and settled on their connected limbs, not finding any words for the situation he found himself in.

Letting go of his hoof she grabbed him under his armpits, pulled him up and set him down beside her after getting up. She did not even stumble a bit, unusual after such a hard crash, especially for people without devil fruit powers.

Sakura straightened her clothes pulling the straps of her bikini top in place again and then turned her attention to the Straw Hats, they seemed to be in a conflict.

Nami was strangling their Captain, while the blond stood at her side and looked ready to kill Luffy too, the long-nose was still pointing at her, his mouth moving without a sound coming out of it, Roronoa Zoro had his hands at the hilt of his swords, ready to move to protect his nakama. But there was someone new. Someone she knew of the wanted posters.

"Nico Robin... I'm surprised. I wouldn't have thought that you would join the Strawhats."

The older woman smiled in her mysterious way and just nodded at her, not caring one bit that a Rear Admiral stood on the same deck as her.

"A pleasure to meet you, Marine-san. I've heard of you and your abilities. I'm very impressed."

Sakura bowed to the female pirate and smirked lightly.

"That makes me so happy to hear. My skills impressing the famous Nico Robin. That's something I have to write down. Now, why did you let your idiot captain go alone on this island? He almost killed me and Gory-san... Wait... Where is Gory-san?"

Confused Sakura turned to the island and leaned over the railing as if she could see better now. But she couldn't and whirled back to the crew.

"Well, I think he survived it. Now, answer my question please. He is a danger to everyone health if left alone", she said and pointed to Luffy, who now stood separated from his friends, his hands behind his head and a fat grin on his face.

Zoro, Nami, the long-nose and the blond all waved their hands up and down, all wearing the same nonplussed expression making Robin giggle and Luffy laugh in his distinctive way.

Sakura sighed and crossed her arms in front of her, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Alright, I understand that you can't tame someone like him but maybe you should keep a better eye on him. Someday he will set off trouble that won't end with a happy end. Just a little warning between acquaintances and the Navy and pirates. I would hate to have to arrest him earlier than planned."

All but Robin and Luffy gaped at her, not expecting words like these spoken by her, a feared marine and known pirate huntress. But this just made one thing so much clearer in their minds; Luffy had the charisma to change much, even the intention of one Rear Admiral. They all turned to their captain, who still laughed and exuded an aura of relaxation and carelessness.

The pink haired woman smiled softly and shook her head.

"You know, you remember me of my best friend. He was as reckless as you and he even had a similar ambitious dream as you, Luffy-kun. He wanted to become the leader of our village, to protect all of its people and his friends. He had the same ability as you. He could turn enemies into friends, he never lost hope and he broke through every limit his skills set. I see so much of him in you; so let me tell you one thing: Don't you dare to die in your journey to become Pirate King. At the end it will be me that gets the honor to capture the strongest man on this world. Understood?!" The last word she barked at him, her eyes narrowed and her hands stemmed into her hips, leaning forward to be nearer to his face.

Luffy grinned brighter than ever before and saluted her.

"Aye, aye, nee-chan!"

Sakura leaned back and smiled satisfied, her expression now open and sunny again.

"That's good. Now, children, I have to get back. I have to find my lost Captain and finish capturing the idiots that call themselves pirates! I hope for you that you get lost before I'm back on my ship or hunting season comes earlier than thought."

The Rear Admiral winked at them and with a hand sign her body dispersed into pale, pink petals of cherry blossoms, which rained down upon the crew, getting most of them to gape again.

Suddenly a loud "Waaah!" ripped them out of their fascination. All turned to the captain, who now pouted.

"I didn't get to ask her, to join our crew!"

All but Robin fell defeated to the floor sporting sweatdrops.

* * *

Sakura appeared without warning beside her second-in-command, making him jump frightened into the air and getting a decisively feminine shriek from him.

He whirled around to her, his lip quivering and his eyes wide and filled with tears almost brimming over. This sight made her sigh heavily, fed up with the childish act of Gory.

"Sakura-samaaaa! You left me again!" He wailed and latched onto her waist, wrapping his arms tightly around her body pushing his face into her coat.

The female marine closed her eyes, collecting every last shred of patience she still owed to not hit her Captain but it was difficult. The dispatch team around them watched them with sweatdrops and unsettled snickering, used to displays as these but it still made them uncomfortable. How could a man, a _Captain_, sink so low? Did he not have any respect for his gender or better yet, for himself? Yes, Sakura-sama looked beautiful and she had a great character but really, was this show necessary?

Finally reaching her point of no return she let her fist drop, with force, onto the top of Gory's head, knocking him out instantly. His muscles relaxed in his unconscious state and he sacked to the floor, freeing her from his unrelenting grip.

"I see you got almost every pirate. Good work, everyone! Now, could someone take Gory-san? I don't have the nerve for his theatrics as soon as he wakes up. Any volunteers? No? Okay, Max-san, I think I just saw your hand twitch. Take him and put him somewhere I don't have to see him. Now, to the ship, we're setting sail to the next base!"

"Aye!"

She nodded and started the walk back to the beach, making the rest of the team follow her with their captives slung over their shoulders.

Left behind was Max, the unconscious Gory and Kintarou with his designated pirate.

The older man couldn't quite hide the smirk that had found a way onto his face because of his younger friends misfortune.

"Well then, Max, grab the Captain and we can go. I just knew that your commentary would come back and bite you in the ass. Oh, and be careful, when Gory-san wakes up, he usually will cling to the person nearest him and only let go after calming down. That can take up to half an hour."

The red haired young marine made a face but crouched down and threw the Captain over his shoulder, following the rest of the group back to the rowing boats, which would bring them back to their ship. A scowl quickly contorted his normally pleasing face as something hard pressed into his shoulder and no amount of shifting could alleviate the pressure. Damn, he should have taken off the guns of Gory before he had picked him up. Well, now it was too late and he would have to live with it. Even if the continuous snickering of Kintarou made a vein pulse on his forehead.

They caught up with their colleagues in no time and joined them in their track back to the ship. Max glared darkly at every man that had the gall to look at him and grin amused, for he made a truly amusing picture. Gory was a tall man, standing over a head taller than Max, who was by far the shortest male on the marine ship, making him famous on the vessel for this alone. He also was one of the youngest marines with his barely 20 years of age.

"Come on, shorty! Don't fall behind or you will be left here with the Captain!" One of the other males said and chortled ignoring the death glare from the other man.

It just was funny to annoy the redhead for he had the most interesting reactions. One could say, that it almost was a free time activity for the older marines to get on the nerves of Max. They had the excuse that he was a willing victim with his behavior. But as one could see, the Rear Admiral also took the mickey out of him.

"Ladies, I can hear you even from here at the front! Keep it down or completely shut! Max-san got enough for today, the next one that opens his mouth for such a ridiculous statement can carry Gory-san the next time he decides to annoy me again! Understood!?"

A collected "Yessir!" came from the group and they moved on, now as silent as they could be with their heavy cargo and their weapons clinking with their movements.

Sakura nodded satisfied with the obedience of her subordinates; she had them trained well but after drilling them in Tsunade-style it was no wonder. Now they had a healthy respect for her and listened to her every command, trusting in her skills as Rear Admiral. That was important for marines as it could save lives in dire situations to follow the orders of their superior without questioning.

And how hard she had worked to gain this trust! It had truly been a grueling time but the fact that almost all of her original crew still stood with her was gratification enough for her.

She left her memories behind when they reached the shoreline, a few rowing boats not far away, waiting for them to get them back onto the ship.

Sakura sighed and stepped to the side, watching her men made their ways to the boats, loading the captives into them and getting in too. The rowers all looked at her, ready to get going but waiting for her. She just made a shooing motion with her hand and smiled at them. Understanding her command they let their paddles into the water, starting to row back to the ship with their cargo tied securely together. But she believed that even if they had been free, they would have stood no chance against her dispatch team. She had trained them personally and knew their strengths almost as well as her own.

Turning away from the men she crossed her arms and looked to the horizon, trying to find anything resembling a caravel class ship but not seeing anything she smiled broader.

It seemed that at least some of the Strawhats had enough sense to grab a chance when it came.

Satisfied with her conclusion she gathered chakra in her feet and stepped onto the water, starting to make her way to the ship. She just loved it, when everything went according to plan.

She stepped onto the deck of her vessel and stretched her arms above her head, happy with how her day had went, when a man run up to her panic glinting in his eyes.

Furrowing her brows, worry made itself at home in her body.

"Fushi-san, report!"

The man saluted and gazed at her, sweat running down his temples and his hand shaking at his forehead.

"We sighted a pirate ship twelve o'clock! We identified the flag as the Strawhats!"

She stayed silent for a few seconds, her eyes gazing blankly at the panting marine until the words caught up with her. Then a groan came out of her mouth and her hand met her forehead soundly. Silently she moved her hands in a few gestures and moved her mouth without a sound until her chin met her collarbone again and her whole body seemed to sack. Then her head whipped up again and a furious expression made Fushi flinch back.

"Ready the cannons and let the crew enter combat mode! Give one warning shot off, if they react with aggression we will fight back. Now go!"

The man saluted and left with a sharp "Yessir!", giving her time to turn around to her dispatch team.

"Get the mongrels down into the cells and a few of you will stay down there, guarding them! I don't care who of you will do it, draw straws or something, the rest of you will join the crew and prepare for battle! Get moving!"

"Aye, aye!"

Twirling around Sakura moved to the bow of her battleship, determination burning in her eyes and her fist clenched at her sides.

Well, it seemed as if the Strawhats weren't as intelligent as she had given them credit for. She had expected more from Nami or at least Nico Robin but to be disappointed like that? They would pay for not taking her warning serious. The best way to learn was out of mistakes and this was one big mistake!

She could hear the preparations going on and she enjoyed the jerk that went through her vessel as soon as the anchor was lifted and the sails let down. For a big ship as this one it could get surprisingly fast, fastened if they started the paddle-wheels but she didn't want to catch the Strawhats, just teaching them a lesson so they wouldn't need to catch up, just get near enough to fire a cannon to spook them a bit.

Sakura heard steps nearing her but didn't turn around; whatever the man had to say, he would say it even if she didn't look at him. She only had eyes for the Going Merry, which came closer and closer.

"Captain, the cannons are loaded and ready to be fired! On your command!"

A smirk slithered on her lips and she cocked her hip, a certain sadistic pleasure running through her.

"Alright, fire E3!"

"Understood! Fire B3!"

As soon as she heard the wrong command she twirled to the marine and grabbed his collar, pulling him to her.

"Are you an idiot?! I said E3 not B3! Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

Letting go of him, she jumped upon the galleons figure and stared in shock at the cannonball which flew in a high arc directly at the Going Merry.

But then something surprising happened, something she hadn't expected.

A skin-colored balloon blew up, catching the cannonball and drove it right back at them making some of the marines begin to scream in terror.

Sakuras eyes narrowed and the chakra made her fist and feet glow eerily. As soon as the cannonball had the right distance, she jumped into the air and hit it, directing it to the sea far away from both ships.

She could hear relieved breaths and some cheers coming from her crew but as soon as she landed again she turned to the man that had conveyed her orders wrongly, staring him down.

He shrank into himself, his knees shaking under the pressure he felt coming off of her. It was as if some invisible weight pressed down on him, robbing him of every last bit of strength until he sunk to the floor.

"_You_! I do not tolerate mistakes like this one! Do you know what could have happened right now?! Your mistake could have killed some of the men on board and destroyed important areas of the ship! Be happy that I was here and could redirect the cannonball or we could have one very big problem! Now, get out of sight and don't even dare to show yourself around me again. Think about what you have done! Go. _GO_!"

Nodding the man scrambled backwards until he could get up again and run over the deck, into the direction of the stairs and vanishing down it.

Sakura followed his retreating form until he had escaped her sight and only then she sighed deeply and turned back to the Going Merry, which was distancing itself as fast as possible from them. Good thing too because she had not the patience to deal with the Strawhats again.

Whirling around to the crew around her, she stood to attention again and looked at them with a steady gaze.

"We will abandon the hunt for the Strawhat Pirates! Our next destination is the Marine base on Lorio Island! Set course and get back to work!"

The crew answered in a unison "Aye, aye!" and then tried to follow her orders as fast as possible.

Sakura sighed again, before she made her way back to her hammock, shedding her heels and coat and settling herself down, closing her eyes and relaxing her muscles.

Today could have gone better but she had seen Luffy and his crew again, something that had made her extremely happy.

As she slowly lost herself to sleep, one name crossed her mind.

'_Naruto..._'


End file.
